Atmos

you said you had rustys shocks before? I think their lift kits come with a twin tube shock, and whether you realize it or not you've done yourself a favor by replacing them with a monotube design. the bilsteins most likely feel stiffer than you're used to and it doesn't help that they have to fight against your suspension angles. set yourself up with some long arms and you'll love the bilsteins! decent shocks on short arms is like lipstick on a pig unfortunately

TRCM

I wasn't talking about just the front....the rear shocks suck just as much....how do short arms affect the rough riding rear ??

xj_bill

The 5100s are working for me, but I can't comment on your current setup as I don't have experience with that brand.

Any lift will cause a stiffer rider in the front due to CA angles. At 3" one suggestion is you try CA drops first to improve your angles. I would not spend $600-$1000+ on long arms for that lift height unless you're a rock crawler.

5-Speed

I have had my 5100s on for about 3000 miles now. I will have to say that they are a bit on the stiff side. BUT I do not have any aftermarket bumpers or anything that adds extra weight. So having said that, I love my 5100s when I load up for a trip. The extra weight really makes it ride nice. I have a feeling if they were softer to begin with, they would be too soft when the Jeep is full of stuff. Also, I run no sway bars and before the 5100s, it was scary to drive on the street. Now, its hard to tell that there are no sway bars. It feels nice and stable through the turns.

s346k

i enjoyed the 5100s when they were new. they had a firm but not harsh ride and really kept the jeep in check. now they're so soft it's not even funny. however, i'd probably be laughing if i saw me bobbing down the highway for no apparent reason. thinking typical pos xj. oh well. the new shocks should be here this week and i can remedy the problem and never buy another bilstein product.

Atmos

Sounds like you should definitely give up those shocks to someone who will appreciate them!

TRCM

Trust me....it's coming........................

JK253

My 5100s ride way better than the Old Man Emu shocks I used to have...probably has something to do with their valving and how much my XJ weighs with all of the extra armor. They're probably a bit rough at around factory weight.

I'll be ditching them soon, only because they're too short now to allow for very much droop since upgrading my coils and leafs recently.

s14unimog

Guys... The 5100's are fairly baseline as far as shocks go. If you want something "better", spend more money. Simple.

For the cost, the look, the fact they're nitro-charged, the sizing options, etc... It's a damn good shock. I'm running them on all 4 corners including their steering stabilizer. They're hard to beat for what you get.

Atmos

exactly. bang for buck it's hard to beat. If you're not satisfied with this shock and the rest of your suspension is still lacking, you should not be blaming the shock.

dude I have a hard time believing you "wore out" a pair of bilsteins. are they leaking? how many miles did you get out of them? The construction of a monotube shock leaves little room for failure, I think they only way you would have a bad shock is if the bottom seal fails but the obvious sign would be fluid. also curious to know what shock you replaced them with?

the only time I've experienced problems with the actual design of the bilstein is shock fade under moderate-extreme use. shocks fade when they get too hot. It's not the shocks fault that I'm pushing it beyond intended use

anyway, for anyone looking for clarification on shock types here's some good information

http://www.4x4review.com/everything-...ock-absorbers/

s346k

if you read my posts - i've supplied all of the info you asked, atmos. i'm guessing they had to be bad from the getgo...or no one has used them for an extended period of time and they simply aren't durable. i ordered monroe sensatrac shocks to replace them, they are not here yet.

Atmos

15k street on street only or offroad as well? 4 bad shocks out of the box seems impossible. But if you say you have 4 bad shocks then it must be true. Smart move replacing them with autozone shocks

TRCM

So, yer saying cuz Autozone sells them, they're 'autozone' shocks even tho Tenneco owns the company that makes them ??

Following that logic, guess you better call your beloved bilsteins 'autozone' shocks......cuz they sell there as well...........


.

Atmos

yep you got it. you should buy a set too they're great

s346k

street use only, 0 off-road. read my user title haha. im not sure why you're so passionate about these shocks. they are what they are. ill make you a video. i'm not making anything up. and with regard to the autozone shock comment - the white body $12 gabriels i got from rockauto lasted longer than these bilsteins, they had 70k on them and performed almost exactly the same since day 1.

also - it is possible for shocks to fail and not leak. next time you help someone change some find an old one with no visible leaking and compress it - it will not return to its original shape and leak nothing while doing it. but given your ultra shock knowledge i'm assuming you already know this.